Sarah Gorden facts for kids
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Gorden with Angel City in 2024
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sarah L. Gorden | ||
| Date of birth | September 13, 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Elk Grove Village, Illinois | ||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Center back | ||
| Team information | |||
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Current team
|
Angel City | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Eclipse Select SC | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011–2015 | DePaul Blue Demons | 77 | (1) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2021 | Chicago Red Stars | 76 | (0) |
| 2022– | Angel City | 59 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of June 20, 2025 | |||
Sarah L. Gorden (born September 13, 1992) is an American professional soccer player. She plays as a center back for Angel City FC in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She is also the captain of Angel City FC. Before joining Angel City, she played for the Chicago Red Stars. Sarah Gorden has been recognized as one of the best players, being named to the NWSL Best XI two times.
Contents
Early Life and College Soccer
Sarah Gorden was adopted by Jeff and Sue Gorden. She started playing soccer when she was just four years old. Her amazing speed on the field also led her to join her high school track team. While attending James B. Conant High School, she played as a defender for the Eclipse Select Soccer Club.
Playing for the DePaul Blue Demons
Gorden attended DePaul University from 2011 to 2015. Her parents had also been student athletes at DePaul. Sarah studied journalism and competed as a hurdler on the track team for her first two years. She also continued to play soccer.
She scored her first college goal on September 11, 2011, against Minnesota.
Gorden took a break from playing in 2013 to have her son. She returned to the DePaul Blue Demons in 2014. She helped lead the team's defense to a conference title. They also made it to the NCAA tournament two years in a row. Her team allowed the fewest goals in the Big East Conference.
In 2014, Gorden was named to the All-Big East second team. She also helped set a school record with a 20-game undefeated streak. This streak was tied for the longest in the nation at the time. In 2015, Gorden was named Big East Defensive Player of the Week four times. She was also named to the All-Big East first team.
Professional Club Career
Chicago Red Stars: 2016–2021
The Chicago Red Stars chose Sarah Gorden in the 3rd round of the 2016 NWSL College Draft. She was the 22nd player picked overall. This made her the first DePaul Women's Soccer player ever chosen in the NWSL draft. She played her first professional game in the season opener against the Houston Dash.
In January 2021, Gorden signed a new two-year contract with the Chicago Red Stars.
On October 29, 2021, Gorden became Chicago's first "Iron Woman." This means she played every single minute of the 2021 NWSL season. She finished second in the voting for NWSL Defender of the Year.
Angel City FC: 2022–Present
On December 3, 2021, Gorden's playing rights were traded to Angel City FC. She missed the entire 2022 season due to a knee injury. However, she returned and played every minute of the 2023 regular season. This made her an "Iron Woman" for the second time in her career. Her team also made their first playoff appearance that year. She was named to the NWSL Best XI and was nominated for Defender of the Year.
On December 19, 2023, Gorden signed a new contract with Angel City. This contract will keep her at the club until 2026.
Before the 2024 season, Gorden was named the team's Vice Captain. She often captained Angel City matches after the main captain, Ali Riley, had a season-ending injury. On April 21, 2024, Gorden played her 100th NWSL regular-season game as captain. Angel City won that match 2–1 against North Carolina Courage.
In July 2024, Gorden was named to the NWSL Team of the Month. She helped her team reach the semifinals of the NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil tournament. She was also named to the NWSL's Team of the Month for August 2024.
International Career
Gorden was first called to join the United States women's national soccer team in December 2019. She was called up again in October 2020.
Personal Life
Sarah Gorden has a son named Caiden, who was born in 2014.
In September 2020, Gorden started a nonprofit organization called HoodSpace.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Playoffs | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Chicago Red Stars | 2016 | NWSL | 4 | 0 | – | – | – | 4 | 0 | |||
| 2017 | 5 | 0 | – | – | – | 5 | 0 | |||||
| 2018 | 17 | 0 | – | – | – | 17 | 0 | |||||
| 2019 | 23 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | – | 26 | 0 | ||||
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | – | – | 9 | 0 | ||||
| 2021 | 24 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 31 | 0 | |||
| Total | 74 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | 92 | 0 | |||
| Angel City FC | 2022 | NWSL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | 22 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | 24 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | 29 | 0 | |||
| 2025 | 13 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 59 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 73 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 133 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 165 | 0 | ||
Awards and Honors
Individual
- NWSL Best XI: 2021, 2023
- NWSL Team of the Month: 2019: July 2021: October 2023: July, September/October 2024: July, August
See also
In Spanish: Sarah Gorden para niños
